Killam Seminar Series: The Gut-Brain Dopamine Axis
The Killam Seminar Series presents: The Gut-Brain Dopamine Axis
Ivan De Araujo, Professor, Neuroscience, Mount Sinai Hospital, USA
Abstract: Recent studies reveal that an ascending neural pathway exists linking the gastrointestinal tract to midbrain dopamine rigid systems, where reward and action selection are computed in brain. The vagus nerve constitutes a critical node within this pathway, with the stimulation of its gastrintestinal fibers leading to behavior reinforcement and to secretion of dopamine in brain. The potential implication of this pathway in the development of synucleinopathies will also be discussed.
Bio: Majored in Philosophy at the University of Brasilia, followed by postgraduate work in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh. Obtained his Doctorate (DPhil) in Medical Physiology and Imaging at the University of Oxford, under the supervision of Edmund T. Rolls. Performed postdoctoral work in Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, where he recorded in awake animals the activity of networks of neurons linked to the digestive tract. From 2007 through 2018, he directed his Neurobiology of Feeding Laboratory at Pierce Labs (Yale University), previous to joining Mount Sinai in August 2018. After describing the taste-independent calorie sensing phenomenon, his main interests revolve around the question of how the body communicates with the central nervous system, and in establishing interfaces for brain stimulation therapies triggered by peripheral signals.
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Supported by the generosity of the Killam Trusts, the MNI's Killam Seminar Series invites outstanding guest speakers whose research is of interest to the scientific community at the MNI and McGill University
